The Book of Mormon is probably the most well known of Mormon scriptures.  Mormons present it as another testament of Christ which stands beside the Bible as a testimony of Him.  In summary, it is a record of an ancient people in the Americas, their civilization (which was Christian), and their eventual fall.

Mormons believe that Joseph Smith Jr. found this record on golden plates, by the direction of an angel of God.  The record was not written in English, but in a language that the writers themselves described as “reformed Egyptian.”  Joseph Smith translated the book through faith – and the power and inspiration of God, using tools called the Urim and Thummim initially.  These were found buried with the records.  Joseph Smith would dictate the translation and his scribe (usually Oliver Cowdery, but occasionally Emma, Joseph’s wife, and a few others) would write it down.

Few people were permitted to see the golden plates – those that were are called the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, David Whitmer) and the Eight Witnesses.  The Three Witnesses saw the golden plates presented by an angel.  Joseph Smith showed the Eight Witnesses the plates himself.

Did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon?  This is a common question.  In Mormon belief, the Book of Mormon was written by a number of ancient prophets and abridged by the prophet Mormon as his civilization was falling.  A good section of the Book of Mormon is in Mormon’s voice as he summarizes or makes commentary on long past events – but there are many other voices.  Nephi, the first prophet in the Book of Mormon, has a different way of acting and describing his actions than the much later Alma, the great missionary. 

There are a number of Book of Mormon evidences – analytical proofs that might prove that the events in the Book of Mormon happened, or that it was written by many ancient people who lived in an ancient culture.  In the end, though, the only way to tell if the Book of Mormon is true or not is by reading it in a spirit of prayer and truth.  Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is more testimony and a doctrine than a historical document or a work of literature.

The Book of Mormon contains Christian doctrines that were lost in the Bible, through time, mistranslation, and missing portions.  The people described in the Book of Mormon were the ancestors of the Native Americans and the people of South America.  Christ visited these people at the conclusion of his ministry, after he was resurrected. 

Some hundreds of years after his visit, the civilization fell into all out warfare and failed – one group (the Lamanites) wiping out or absorbing the normally more righteous group (the Nephites).  The Nephites fell into deep, violent degradation before their civilization was destroyed.  The Book of Mormon portrays a cycle that Mormons often refer to as “the pride cycle.”  A Christian people is blessed by the Lord for their faithfulness.  They become prosperous, then comfortable in their prosperity.  They begin to set themselves up as superior and form factions that exclude the poor or “less deserving.”  They sin more radically and abandon the faith.  The Lord stops protecting them in war and chastens them with such things as famine.  The Christian people humble themselves and repent and the cycle begins again.

The theme of salvation through Christ remains constant, however.  The Nephite people (and often the Lamanites as well) lived the law of Moses before the coming of Christ, but looked to Christ and waited for Christ.  This waiting for Christ wasn’t universal – many dismissed the idea and rejected Him before he came.  But those who waited and those who believed, those who were kind and gracious to the poor and to each other, who believed in peace when possible and defense when necessary – those who kept the commandments of God and waited found joy in Christ in mortal life or the next.  Christ came to their people and ministered to them.  Thus, Mormons believe in the Book of Mormon as a testament of Christ.